Julie Ward Centre May 2010

By Sidney ClayPhotos by Glen Vena

Pitou and Sirius the leopards - Rehomed from Monaco Zoo, and arrived here January 2008

These two get on very well right now. Pitou, the female, is seen most of the time, Sirius will sometimes remain in hiding. If we come upon them though, when they are together but not expecting us, Sirius will not run off. It is as if Pitou is telling him not to worry, that we are no danger. Most of the time we feed them in the hospital enclosure to keep Sirius comfortable being shut in the hospital camp. It is taking a long time, but he is finally getting settled. There are even times when you will find him right in front of the visitors’ viewing deck and he will not be bothered.

Pitou playing with grass

Sinbad the lion - Rescued from a Romanian Zoo August 2007

This friendly little lion is loved by most of our visitors. He always puts in an appearance when we are on our fence patrols and whenever you stop by him, he will lie on his back and play with whatever he can get his paws on.

“Sinbad was very vocal this morning (30th May), looking for Ma Juah and Achee and scent-marking his turf…then he came and sat in front of me” - Glen

Ma Juah and Achee - Ma Juah rescued from a zoo in Liberia in July 2004 and Achee rescued from a Romanian zoo in September 2004

They are looking good, and always are inseparable. They are usually to be found in their hospital enclosure rather than the main camp. Maybe this is because the sun shines up there more than at the bottom of the slope where it is more shaded, and in this winter weather it is nice to have the sun. The leopard triplets can also be more easily seen from there. They never show them any aggression though.

Sami Alam and Nimira - The leopard triplets, rescued from the Sudan in July 2001

The two boys like to stick together, playing with each other. Nimira prefers to be by herself most of the time, but still not far from her brothers. They all like to follow us on our fence patrols.

Sami in front & Alam at the back. “Just like Sinbad today (30th May), they were cent-marking like crazy. Well Nimira was not in the mood to be with the boys, she was off grooming herself.” Glen

Nimira grooming herself away from her brothers.

Aslan and Stella the lions - Aslan was rescued from Athens Zoo in Greece and arrived Shamwari September 1999. Stella was rescued from a zoo in northern Greece and arrived here September 2002.

Their bond is as tight as ever. They are always together or following each other. They are not always seen but if we do not see them, then we can usually hear them as roaring seems to be their hobby! We think Aslan is getting hard of hearing now. In the past, when he would hear the vehicle arriving with meat, he would be at the feeding spot waiting for us, but now we have to call him to let him know we are there. He is a pretty old man now though.

Aslan. “Well, he may be old, but those eyes look so full of life. So displeased to see me photographing him! You can just see Stella’s legs in the background.” Glen